1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device and a method for processing video signals, and more particularly, to a device and a method for automatically discriminating formats of video signals input to a monitor and processing the respective signals in accordance with the identified formats.
2. Description of the Related Art
Monitors adopted in multimedia systems, PCs (Personal Computers), HDTVs (High Definition TVs) and ordinary TVs are connected to respective built-in signal processing devices. The signals output by the signal processing devices are processed in accordance with related formats and then displayed on the monitors.
Existing monitors are equipped with input ports designed to receive the signals output by the signal processing devices. However, various formats of the signals output by the signal processing devices necessitate different kinds of input ports. Therefore, users have to identify the formats of signals input to the monitors and then connect the appropriate input ports of the monitors, which are adapted for the identified formats, to the output ports of the signal processing devices.
Recently, in order to solve the above-described existing problems, new technologies have been developed to identify the frequency of synchronization signals included in the input signals and to discriminate between the formats of the input signals automatically.
It is true that new technologies help to address the existing problems in part. However, the new technologies cannot be perfect solutions since horizontal and vertical synchronization signals of PC (personal computer) signals and HDTV (high definition television) signals may have the same formats not distinguished from each other by the current technologies. That is, the formats of horizontal and vertical synchronization signals in the PC signals and HDTV signals are 31 KHz and 60 Hz respectively, however, the PC signals are represented in RGB form while the HDTV signals in YPbPr form. Thus, the currently developed synchronization signal frequency identification technologies cannot discriminate PC signals from HDTV signals.
Therefore, according to the existing technologies, different input ports for the PC signals and the HDTV signals should be installed on the monitors. Then, users should manually connect the PC signal output port and the HDTV signal output port to respective monitor input ports.